TAMPA, AUGUST 25, 2018 – It was a highly competitive afternoon in the finale of the USF Invitational, but the USF volleyball team persevered in a five-set win against Stony Brook (25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 25-27, 15-10).
The Bulls (3-0) were guided by junior outside hitter
Jac'cara Walker (Gainesville, Fla.), who followed up 22 kills on Friday with 21 kills and 20 digs. Redshirt senior middle blocker
Clara Payne (Osteen, Fla.) and sophomore middle blocker
Jaeden Brown (Hollywood, Fla.) each had 11 kills. Freshman outside hitter
Lindsey Pliapol (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and senior
Briana Stowell (Orlando) added eight and six kills, respectively.
The first three sets had identical scores, as both team traded wins, with the Bulls up 2-1 heading into the fourth. A wacky fourth set went back-and-forth, but the Seawolves (2-1) edged out USF, 27-25 to force a decisive fifth set. The Bulls leaned on the play of Walker and Brown in the fifth set, combining for seven kills. Stowell added two from the setter position to help USF complete its 3-0 weekend.
Notables
- Since the start of 2017, USF is 5-0 in five-set matches.
- Walker was named the tournament MVP, totaling 43 kills and 31 digs in the three matches.
- Freshman libero CC Clausen (The Woodlands, Texas) recorded 31 digs, tied for the sixth most in a single match in program history.
- Four Bulls had double-digit digs, with Walker and Pliapol each tallying 20. Sophomore defensive specialist Faby Ribas (Orlando) had 11.
Key Stats
53 – Stowell totaled 53 assists, the most she has had in a Bulls uniform. She had 111 in the three matches, averaging 7.93 per set.
4 – Four Bulls had more than 20 kills on the weekend: Walker (43), Payne (29), Brown (27) and Pliapol (24).
Quotables
Head coach Courtney Draper on completing the perfect weekend:
"It was certainly fun. Definitely a great balance of being challenged and having success against quality teams, one of which was an NCAA tournament team from last year. It was a complete effort all weekend and an excellent atmosphere with the fans over the last two days."
Head coach Courtney Draper Jac'cara's monster weekend, earning MVP honors:
"We all did our homework on Stony Brook, she took note of our game plan going in and she executed beautifully. She knows how to put the ball where the other team is not and on the defensive side, she puts herself in excellent position to make plays."
Head coach Courtney Draper discussing how the five-set wins and going 3-0 can contribute to the team's success going forward:
"Especially with the five setters, just knowing that we can battle through and overcome the ups and down of a match was key for us this weekend. We have a huge test next weekend an SEC team and a team from the ACC."
Up Next
The Bulls have their first road tests of the season, as they travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the Tiger Classic Aug. 31 – Sept. 1. The Bulls will face LSU, Duke and Texas A&M Corpus Christi next weekend.
About USF Volleyball
Led by redshirt senior middle blocker Clara Payne, who paced the team with 300 points and finished seventh in The American with a .290 hitting percentage, USF and seventh-year head coach Courtney Draper are excited for 2018. Senior setter Briana Stowell finished second on the team in 2017 with 243 assists and averaged 22.3 per match in the final month of the year. Senior defensive specialist Maria McLamb led USF with 381 digs as a junior, finishing 10th in The American with 3.89 digs per set. The Bulls are welcoming six new faces to the roster, with five talented freshmen and a skilled outside hitter coming from Marshall University.
Follow the volleyball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
– #GoBulls –
